March 19th, 2011: Casino (1995)

What It’s About: Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorcese (along with many of the same cast members) return to the fertile ground of Mafia rise-and-fall stories based on true stories, this time covering Mafia involvement in Vegas in the 1970s and 80s.

Why Watch it Today?: Nevada legalized gambling today in 1931, eventually leading to the glamor, excess, and Mafia involvement in Las Vegas. Although Casino fails to be as good as its predecessor, it is still an entertaining film with flashes of brilliance.